There’s a lot of weird going around. As Hunter S. Thompson wrote, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” That’s what Mary Shelley did in 1816, the Year Without A Summer. Check out how a volcano, a frog, and a poet inspired an 18-year-old dreamer to create the first science fiction.
How Mary Shelly Turned Science Into Frankenstein
LIT AF Season 2 Episode 1
Nothing Says Authenticity Like a Letter
LIT AF Season 2 Episode 2
Mary Shelley opens Frankenstein with a series of letters from Captain Walton to his sister, telling of his expedition to the north pole and the stranger he encounters who tells a story… Why frame the book this way? For the same reason a handwritten letter in your mailbox – if that ever happens – strikes you differently than an email or a text. The letter is REAL.
My Family, My Friends, My Teachers
LIT AF Season 2 Episode 3
In this episode our narrator Viktor Frankenstein walks us through the moments in which he left home and began school. People dying of disease at home, being uncomfortable with leaving familiarity and making new friends – it sounds sort of like life after Covid lockdowns. Check out the undercurrent of impending doom that accompanies Viktor’s pursuit of knowledge… will curiosity kill someone’s cat?
Success Makes Victor Sick
LIT AF Season 2 Episode 4
Victor gets all the body parts he needs to build a monster. Sometimes success isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
My Baby She Wrote Me A Letter
LIT AF Season 2 Episode 5
Once upon a time, authors moved plots long without chases or explosions or orgasms. Now, I’m the last person to speak out against a good chase or explosion or orgasm, but those events are all the more compelling when the audience cares about the characters. And even in this day and age, there’s nothing like a letter to let us into someone’s thoughts and feelings. Read along with Victor as his sister sends news from home, and join me in my dread at the end of the episode – how could everything be this damn happy in a book about monsters and madness??
MURDER
LIT AF Season 2 Episode 6
It’s the inciting incident of inciting incidents: MURDER. Viktor’s little brother William is dead. We don’t know who didn’t, but there’s thunder, lightning, a monster on the loose, and a young woman who will stand trial in hours – has she been falsely accused?
The Trial of Justine
LIT AF Season 2 Episode 7
Justine. JUSTine. What’s in a name? Innocence in the eyes of Viktor Frankenstein and his sister Elizabeth. But will the court agree? And what of Viktor’s guilty conscience and fears of madness? Join us for Chapter 8 of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Shock & Awe
LIT AF Season 2 Episode 8
Viktor is tormented by the idea that his monster killed his little brother and a beloved, innocent woman was falsely accused, wrongly convicted, and executed because of the murder. In dark moments such as these, it’s understandable that he wants to be alone and end his madness. But connecting with Elizabeth and the majesty of nature brings Viktor back to his senses… and wraps our last short episode before we dive deep into the belly of the Frankenstein beast. Join us for a journey to hurt and beyond.
More Awesome Than Bigfoot
LIT AF Season 2 Episode 9
Viktor Frankenstein goes for a walk in nature. He’s trying to clear his head, to get back in touch with the amazingness of everything that surrounds us and creates a context for life. IMHO we all need that. But then guess who shows up? I’d call it the monster, but “it” and “monster” don’t capture the sensitivity – the humanity – with which he appeals to Viktor. All he wants is to be heard. Isn’t that what we all want?